Risk factors like smoking, radiation, chronic infections and exposure to occupational chemicals are strongly associated with occurrence of bladder cancer. Association between increased body weight and bladder cancer has been controversial. The aim of this case-control study is to evaluate association of anthropometric characteristics on bladder cancer incidence in Greek population.
This case-control study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Greece with cases being patients with bladder cancer diagnosed within the last 2 years and controls patients admitted to hospital for reason other than cancer and not related to common risk factors related to bladder cancer. Anthropometric characteristics like weight, height, body mass index, waist and hip circumference were measured. Analyses was done with R (Vienna, Austria).
Comparison between groups showed that patients with bladder cancer had higher weight, BMI and waist circumference compared to controls. However, multivariate, binomial logistic regression showed that only age (OR 1.03, 95% CI: 1-1.05, p = 0.02), no use of smoke (OR 0.12, 95% CI: 0.07-0.23, p < 0.001) and occupation related to bladder cancer (OR 7.45, 95% CI: 2.53-27.93, p < 0.001) significantly predicted the incidence of bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer incidence is strongly linked with specific risk factors such as smoking, occupation with exposure to chemicals and smoke, increasing age, radiation and chronic infections. Several studies have shown a weak association between anthropometric characteristics and bladder cancer, although most studies in European populations did not confirm these findings. Similarly in our case-control study in a Greek population, we found potential relationship between increased weight/BMI and waist circumference with bladder cancer, but the association disappeared in multivariate analysis.

The most common multifactorial endocrine disorder in females of reproductive age is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), affecting about 5-10% of females worldwide and 9.3% of females in India. Androgen excess in PCOS is caused as a result of defects in steroidogenesis genes. CYP11A1 is an imperative marker in the steroid synthesis pathway, and the altered expression of CYP11A1 has been reported to disrupt the synthesis of steroids and hence conferring risk for the development of PCOS. The present study aimed to analyze genetic variants (rs11632698, rs4077582, rs4887139) of CYP11A1 with PCOS from North India. The study included 270 PCOS females diagnosed according to Rotterdam 2003 criteria and 270 age-matched healthy non-PCOS females. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for the genotypic analysis of the selected genetic variants. Association analysis of biochemical parameters (cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein) and anthropometric measurements with PCOS cases was done. The genetic variants of CYP11A1 (rs11632698, rs4077582, and rs4887139) demonstrated significant association with PCOS cases (p=1.0E-12, p=3.0E-3, p=1.0E-2, respectively). Binary logistic regression revealed that the dominant model of rs11632698 conferred 2.0 risk, and dominant as well as the co-dominant model of rs4887139 conferred risk of 2.2 and 2.4 fold, respectively, towards the progression of PCOS. The overall mean triglyceride levels were elevated, and mean HDL levels were lower in PCOS cases as compared to threshold values. The significant association of studied genetic variants suggested the important role of CYP11A1 in susceptibility to PCOS. The study was the first of its kind from our region and provided baseline data of genetics of PCOS.

Globally, coronary artery disease (CAD) remains one of the leading causes of death, both in developed and less economically developed countries (LEDC) including Bangladesh. Diet plays a key role in the pathogenesis processes of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary habit of heart disease cases that had CAD against matched controls.
Complying Helsinki ethical norms, with written consent, this case-control study was performed among 210 subjects: 105 CAD-hospitalized patients (selected from Lab Aid Cardiac and Specialized Hospitals) and 105 healthy subjects from local urban communities having their body mass index (BMI: ranging between ≥18.5 and 27 socio-demographic status, detailed-dietary patterns and blood pressure levels were recorded, anthropometric indices measured, and serum biochemistry (complete lipid profile) tested/analyzed for both the cases and controls. All visually re-checked data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tools (t test/conditional-logistic regressions) on SPS/Windows V.21.0.
Almost half (45%) CAD patients had hypertriglyceridemia and higher levels of low-density lipoprotein, significantly higher BMA (p=0.001), waist circumference, and waist to hip ratio in male patients (p=0.005 and p=0.020, respectively) than their peer controls. Serum lipid profiles, sugar concentrations, and blood pressure levels of CAD patients revealed higher levels than clinically defined cut-off values as established risk factors for CAD. Odds ratios (CI 95%) as risk factors for consuming junk food {OR=5.49 (2.25-13.38)}, chicken {OR=4.54 (1.89-10.9) was the most, followed by beef {OR=2.68 (1.19-4.98)}, eggs {OR=2.38 (1.14-10.92)}, fish {OR=2.81 (1.31-6.04)}, and vegetables {0R=.968 (0.510-1.839)}. However, fat-free milk, ghee/butter oil, curd/yogurt, and fruits had lower ORs revealing no or less risks for CAD.
Food habits of CAD patients (with higher BMI level and biochemical indicators of the blood) statistically revealed that consuming junk food, meat, and eggs being riskier, fruits, fat-free milk, yogurt, and vegetable remains have protective effects on CAD.

OBJECTIVE: Abnormalities in lipid metabolism are commonly observed in patients who were obese. Alongside dyslipidemia, one of the markers in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease is the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP), which is related to dietary intake. Healthy fat quality indices might affect on AIP. The purpose of this study is to find the possible relationship between dietary fat quality, and AIP and comparison of these indices among obese and non-obese volunteers.
METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytic case-control study with 157 normal and overweight and obese volunteers (n = 71 normal, Age: 38.90 ± 10.976 vs n = 86 overweight/obese, Age: 38.60 ± 9.394) in the age range of 18-65 years. Food intake was measured using FFQ, anthropometric indices (weight, height, body mass index and waist to hip ratio), body composition (visceral fat level, total body water, body fat mass), and lipid profile were measured.
RESULTS: Based on the present results, comparable biochemical parameters including TC (P = 0.580), TG (P = 0.362), LDL (P = 0.687) and HDL (P = 0.151) among overweight/obese volunteers as compared to normal ones were noticed. Effects of dietary fat quality, including Atherogenicity (AI) and Thrombogenicity (TI) hypo/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H), the Cholesterol-Saturated Fat Index (CSI) showed significantly higher AI (P = 0.012) in the overweight/obese group as compared to the normal group. Whereas, h/H (P = 0.034) and ω-6/ω-3 ratio (P = 0.004) were significantly higher in normal-weight volunteers. There was a positive correlation between AI, TI, CSI, SFA, MUFA, PUFA and ω-6/ω-3 ratio with AIP and negative correlation between h/H with AIP in both groups. Despite the significances of these correlations no strong relation was observed by doing multiple regression among normal and overweight/obese groups (R2 = 0.210, R2 = 0.387).
CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the present work proposes a direct relationship between dietary fat quality, increased BMI, and lipid abnormalities with AIP. Nevertheless, further large-scale studies are required to sustain a clear conclusion in this wish.

OBJECTIVE: General and central adiposity are associated with the risk of developing prostate cancer (PCa), but the role of these exposures on PCa survival among men of African ancestry are less studied. This study aimed to investigate the association of anthropometry at diagnosis with all-cause and PCa-specific mortality and evaluate whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) modulated this risk.
METHODS: Associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) at diagnosis and mortality were examined in 242 men with newly diagnosed PCa enrolled between 2005 and 2007 and re-evaluated 10.9 years later. Multi-variable Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine associations of body size variables (using standard WHO cut-points and as continuous variables) with mortality, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, Gleason score, smoking, diabetes, primary treatment, and ADT therapy.
RESULTS: A total of 139 deaths (all-cause mortality 6.98/100 person-years) occurred (PCa-specific deaths, 56; other causes, 66; causes unknown, 17). In multi-variable analysis BMI, WC and WHR categories at diagnosis were not associated with all-cause mortality even after adjusting for ADT. While WHR (but not BMI or WC) when included as a continuous variable predicted lower PCa-specific mortality (multi-variable adjusted WHR per 0.1 difference: HR, 0.50; 95%CI 0.28, 0.93), the effect disappeared with ADT covariance and excluding deaths within the first 2 years.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that central adiposity as measured by WHR may improve long-term survival among men of African ancestry. Metabolic studies to understand the mechanism for this association are needed.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women worldwide. The cardiovascular risk profile deteriorates after women enter menopause. By definition, women diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) experience menopause before 40 years of age, which may render these women even more susceptible to develop CVD later in life. However, prospective long-term follow up data of well phenotyped women with POI are scarce. In the current study we compare the CVD profile and risk of middle aged women previously diagnosed with POI, to a population based reference group matched for age and BMI.
We compared 123 women (age 49.0 (± 4.3) years) and diagnosed with POI 8.1 (IQR: 6.8-9.6) years earlier, with 123 population controls (age 49.4 (± 3.9) years). All women underwent an extensive standardized cardiovascular screening. We assessed CVD risk factors including waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, lipid profile, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), in both women with POI and controls. We calculated the 10-year CVD Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and the American Heart Association\'s suggested cardiovascular health score (CHS). Waist circumference (90.0 (IQR: 83.0-98.0) versus 80.7 (IQR: 75.1-86.8), p < 0.01), waist-to-hip ratio (0.90 (IQR: 0.85-0.93) versus 0.79 (IQR: 0.75-0.83), p < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (124 (IQR 112-135) versus 120 (IQR109-131), p < 0.04) and diastolic blood pressure (81 (IQR: 76-89) versus 78 (IQR: 71-86), p < 0.01), prevalence of hypertension (45 (37%) versus 21 (17%), p < 0.01) and MetS (19 (16%) versus 4 (3%), p < 0.01) were all significantly increased in women with POI compared to healthy controls. Other risk factors, however, such as lipids, glucose levels and prevalence of diabetes were similar comparing women with POI versus controls. The arterial stiffness assessed by PWV was also similar in both populations (8.1 (IQR: 7.1-9.4) versus 7.9 (IQR: 7.1-8.4), p = 0.21). In addition, cIMT was lower in women with POI compared to controls (550 μm (500-615) versus 684 μm (618-737), p < 0.01). The calculated 10-year CVD risk was 5.9% (IQR: 3.7-10.6) versus 6.0% (IQR: 3.9-9.0) (p = 0.31) and current CHS was 6.1 (1.9) versus 6.5 (1.6) (p = 0.07), respectively in POI versus controls.
Middle age women with POI presented with more unfavorable cardiovascular risk factors (increased waist circumference and a higher prevalence of hypertension and MetS) compared to age and BMI matched population controls. In contrast, the current study reveals a lower cIMT and similar 10-year cardiovascular disease risk and cardiovascular health score. In summary, neither signs of premature atherosclerosis nor a worse cardiovascular disease risk or health score were observed among middle age women with POI compared to population controls. Longer-term follow-up studies of women of more advanced age are warranted to establish whether women with POI are truly at increased risk of developing CVD events later in life.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02616510.

To explore associated risk factors and their interactions with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among the elderly with prediabetes in rural areas in China.A nested case-control study was conducted in a fixed cohort to identify the risk factors for T2DM among the elderly with prediabetes in rural areas of Yiyang City in China. A total of 37 elderly with T2DM were included in the cases group and 111 elderly subjects with prediabetes were matched in the control group. Data related to sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behavior, and anthropometric variables were collected by trained staff using standard tools. The risk factors for T2DM were determined using conditional logistic regression analysis, and their additive interactions were also explored.Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis results showed that overweight/obesity (odds ratio [OR] = 4.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-12.28), family history of diabetes (OR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.03-12.81), physically inactive (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.14-8.30), high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (OR = 3.15, 95% CI: 1.27-7.80), and inadequate diabetes-specific health literacy (DSHL) (OR = 3.92, 95% CI: 1.14-13.48) increased the risk for T2DM. Additive interactions for T2DM were observed between a family history of diabetes and high WHR with a relative excess risk of interaction (RERI) of 10.02 (95% CI: 4.25, 15.78), and between high WHR and overweight or obesity, with an RERI of 3.90 (95% CI: 0.36, 7.44).The independent risk factors for T2DM are overweight or obesity, high WHR, family history of diabetes, physically inactive, and inadequate DSHL. High WHR as a risk factor for T2DM has additive interactions with family history of diabetes and overweight or obesity.

To develop a novel sex independent anthropometric index, termed as angle index, related to type 2 diabetes.
Case-control.
The study comprised 121 participants and were divided into two groups. One group had no form of diabetes and served as controls (n=50). The other group had the condition of type 2 diabetes (n=71). 31% (n=37) of the subjects were male and 69% (n=84) were female. 62% (n=75) of the subjects were of East Indian ethnicity, 28% (n=34) were of African ethnicity and 10% (n=12) were of mixed ethnicity.
Participants of the study were from the island of Trinidad, located in the Caribbean. Patients in the study were selected at random from hospital records.
It was hypothesised that the mean angle index of patients with type 2 diabetes would be higher than the mean angle index of patients without type 2 diabetes.
Patients with type 2 diabetes had a significantly higher angle index value as compared with controls (p<0.001). Angle index was the superior sex independent anthropometric index in relation to type 2 diabetes (area under the curve=0.72; p<0.001) as compared with other sex independent variables. Angle index correlated with glycated haemoglobin (rs=0.28, p=0.003) and fasting blood glucose (rs=0.31, p=0.001) levels. Patients with type 2 diabetes were four times more likely to have an angle index greater than 184° (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.8 to 9.9) as compared with controls.
Angle index was a superior sex independent index for discriminating between patients with and without type 2 diabetes, as compared with waist circumference, abdominal volume index, conicity index, blood pressure readings, triglyceride levels and very low-density lipoprotein levels.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the association between central obesity and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among men in southern China, and test the hypothesis that central obesity measured by the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a predictor of the severity of LUTS.
METHODS: In all, 4303 men from the Fangchenggang Area Male Healthy and Examination Survey (FAMHES) were included in this study. LUTS were assessed by the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), whereas central obesity was evaluated by the WHR. The association between WHR and LUTS was tested using logistic and Cox regression analyses.
RESULTS: After screening, 2917 participants were in the study. Univariate analysis indicated significant differences in WHR in the presence of LUTS (P = .012). After stratification by age, logistic regression indicated that LUTS were more frequent in 60-year-old men with a higher WHR (odds ratio [OR] 2.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-6.89) compared with participants <40 years old. Cox regression analysis after pairing of 252 LUTS cases and 252 control subjects from the 2917 eligible participants according to age (±5 years), indicated that central obesity (WHR ≥0.9) may be significantly associated with moderate or severe LUTS (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.16-3.26). The associations between central obesity and straining (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.40-4.24) and weak stream (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.27-4.45) were significant after multivariate adjustment.
CONCLUSIONS: Males with central obesity are at increased risk of LUTS, and increased WHR is associated with worsened straining and weak stream. Further investigations are needed to confirm these associations.

Background: Obesity is a cancer risk factor. Although it does not increase the risk of localized prostate cancer, it raises the risk of the aggressive disease in men of European ancestry. Few studies investigated obesity as a prostate cancer risk factor in men of African ancestry. Findings from those studies were heterogeneous, but some reported an association of excess body fatness with aggressive disease.Methods: We examined the relationship of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio with prostate cancer in African American (AA) and European American (EA) men in the NCI-Maryland Prostate Cancer Case-Control Study consisting of 798 men with incident prostate cancer (402 AA and 496 EA) and 1,008 population-based controls (474 AA and 534 EA). BMI was self-reported. Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio were calculated from measurements at enrollment.Results: A high BMI either at enrollment or years prior to it was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer in AA men. In contrast, an elevated BMI tended to increase the disease risk in EA men. Waist circumference was inversely associated with prostate cancer in both AA and EA men, whereas a high waist-hip ratio did not associate with prostate cancer in AA men but tended to be associated with advanced/aggressive disease in EA men.Conclusions: Our findings reveal an obesity paradox among AA men in this study population, where a high BMI and waist circumference associated with a decreased disease risk.Impact: Our observations expand the knowledge of how obesity may affect prostate cancer risks in AAs. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(8); 936-44. ©2018 AACR.